Category: News

In a statement by his Senior Special Adviser (Administration), Dr. Robert Ngwu, the Minister described the Tinubu administration as a “powerhouse of progress,” citing milestone achievements across clean energy, digital innovation, healthcare, security, agriculture, and job creation.

“One of the administration’s flagship initiatives is the Renewed Hope Solarisation Project—a first-of-its-kind energy gift to Nigeria’s tertiary institutions and federal teaching hospitals.

“Under this initiative, each of the 36 states and the FCT will receive a 2MW solar hybrid power system, targeting one federal university and one federal teaching hospital per state.

“This pilot phase offers eco-friendly, reliable electricity to institutions long burdened by erratic power and rising utility costs,” Nnaji stated. “It is a beacon of hope and a foundation for national rollout.”

“The Ministry is also advancing the Sustainable Energy Access Project (SEAP)—a nationwide clean energy and clean cooking initiative covering all 774 local governments.

“Full-scale implementation is projected to create nearly one million jobs, with a strong focus on youth, women, and artisans—echoing the Renewed Hope Agenda’s commitment to inclusive development.

“In the domain of space technology, President Tinubu approved the launch of four new satellites—NigeriaSat-3, Sat-4, Sat-5, and NigeriaSAR-1—under the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA).

“These assets will bolster national security, disaster response, border surveillance, agriculture, and geospatial land administration.

“Another milestone is the formulation and national validation of Nigeria’s first Cleantech Innovation Policy, developed through the National Cleantech Innovation Programme (NCIP) with support from international partners.

“The policy aims to fast-track Nigeria’s green industrial revolution, climate resilience, and economic diversification. Its full implementation is expected to generate over 500,000 direct and indirect jobs in sectors such as agritech, renewable energy, circular economy, green transportation, and smart manufacturing.

“Special emphasis is placed on empowering women, youth, and persons with disabilities, through inclusive funding, training platforms, and national mentorship schemes.

“To reduce Nigeria’s overreliance on raw material exports and curb the costly dependence on imported finished goods, the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, through RMRDC, has proposed the 30% Minimum Value-Addition Bill.

“This pioneering legislation mandates that at least 30% of local value must be added to raw materials before they are exported or utilized in industrial production.

“In a predominantly import-driven economy, the bill is a strategic policy shift designed to stimulate domestic manufacturing, enhance export earnings through value-added goods, and create widespread employment across key sectors such as agro-processing, extractives, and light industry.

“It also seeks to strengthen supply chain resilience, foster SME growth, and reduce vulnerability to global market shocks. By anchoring industrial progress on local capacity and innovation, the bill aligns with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and reinforces Nigeria’s path to economic self-reliance and competitiveness.

“As part of the Ministry’s industrialization strategy, the revival and optimization of the cassava value chain has become a strategic national priority. Leveraging Nigeria’s comparative advantage as one of the world’s largest producers of cassava, the Ministry is facilitating the deployment of mechanized and semi-automated processing systems to enhance value addition, reduce post-harvest losses, and create high-impact jobs across rural communities.

“A central component of this initiative is the extraction and industrial utilization of high-grade starch from cassava (HGCS), which serves as a versatile industrial raw material with a wide array of downstream applications spanning multiple sectors like food and beverage (Glucose syrup, sweeteners, baking ingredients, modified starch), pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals (Tablet binding, dietary supplements and excipients, medical-grade glucose and dextrose), industrial and chemical manufacturing (Adhesives and glues, Biodegradable plastics and packaging materials, Paper sizing and coating agents, Textile finishing agents, Ethanol and industrial alcohol production), cosmetics and personal care (Starch-based baby powders, Organic thickeners and skin-conditioning agents), and agriculture and animal feed (Livestock feed concentrates, Binders in fish and poultry feed, Biofertilizer components).

“By fostering the development of these value chain products, the Ministry is unlocking significant opportunities for import substitution, export diversification, and rural industrialization.

“This intervention aligns strongly with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and is poised to transform cassava from a subsistence crop into a strategic industrial commodity driving national prosperity.

“Similarly, a €7.9 billion Green and Blue Methanol Industrial Complex is in the works to deliver decarbonization in blue economy, and low-carbon fuels, reinforcing Nigeria’s leadership in Africa’s clean energy transition.

“In line with the clarion call of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, the Ministry has made a significant push toward research commercialization, with industrial-scale fabrication of agro-processing equipment—crushers, mixers, dryers, stoves, ovens—aimed at improving food security and reducing post-harvest losses. These machines are now being deployed in semi-automated production lines for palm oil, cassava, plantain, soybean, vegetable oil, etc.

“One of the country’s most notable health breakthroughs is the development and field-testing of Nigeria’s first Artemisinin Extraction Plant, which extracts the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) from domesticated Artemisia annua—a game-changing innovation in the fight against malaria.

“The National Research and Innovation Fund (NRIF), which is currently being finalized will empower scientists to commercialize their findings, with a pipeline of over 1000 patents expected annually. These outcomes position Nigeria as a knowledge economy anchored on innovation, not just consumption.

“President Tinubu also established an Inter-Ministerial Innovation Committee, chaired by the Vice President, to align innovation and job creation targets across all MDAs. With support from the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics Nigeria now tracks metrics such as job creation, emissions reduction, and gender participation using real-time dashboards.

“Under Tinubu’s strategic foreign policy, the Ministry has secured new partnerships with UNDP, UNESCO, the Commonwealth Secretariat, and the African Development Bank, boosting investment flows into Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem.

“Thank you, Mr. President,” Nnaji concluded. “From satellite skies to solar campuses, and from mechanized farms to biotech labs—Nigeria is rising, and it is powered by innovation.”

Many residents said under the Tinubu administration, the average person has experienced more poverty and insecurity than under any other government in the nation. Some, however, said the president has done his best and identified areas in which he needs to do more.

Prof. Benjamin Okaba, the president of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), stated that although Tinubu came to power with audacious pledges and reforms, particularly the elimination of fuel subsidies and attempts to standardize exchange rates, these have caused a great deal of hardship for a large number of Nigerians. According to him, “The naira’s depreciation, spiraling inflation, and high energy and food costs have eroded the purchasing power of the average Nigerian citizen. While the government argues these are necessary sacrifices for long-term gain, for millions of Nigerians, daily survival has become increasingly difficult. While some progress has been reported in counterinsurgency efforts in the Northeast, a plethora of incidents of widespread banditry, kidnapping, community clashes, and tribal invasions accompanied by large-scale death tolls have ravaged the North-Central. The judicial and legislative reforms promised are still unfounded, and the impact of their activities on governance and the rule of law is abysmal”.

A political activist, Mr. Blessing Adima, said, “Everything has gone from bad to worse. As far as the APC government is concerned, they didn’t come to do anything; there is no area of the country that they have done well. Let us not be fooled by local government financial autonomy, the governors are still handling the funds of local governments and the local government’s financial autonomy has not bettered the lives of the people at the grassroots. They should reverse most of the decisions they have taken. They have borrowed more money than before despite the removal of the fuel subsidy. How come a government that paid subsidies didn’t borrow this much? Insecurity is worse, terrorists have taken over Benue, Plateau, and Taraba States. The president should employ the services of mercenaries who can dismantle those terrorists so that farmers can go back to their farms. He should reverse the draconian economic policies that are not working.”

Elder Joseph Ambakederimo, convener of the South-South Reawakening Group, said, “It is a mixed bag if we must fairly assess the two years of the Tinubu presidency. The policies formulated so far are far-reaching, while others can’t find any pathway forward. The reforms are excruciating, but we are also seeing a silver lining on the horizon in terms of increased revenue flowing into the coffers of the three tiers of government. But what is of concern is the non-commensurate infrastructure development across the country compared to the huge amount of money received from the FAAC account, specifically the states. When we say there is hunger in the land, the question to ask is what the states are doing with the huge revenue they receive monthly. The states should drive agriculture and produce food for their people, not the federal government, which deals with policy. The assessment has to be somewhat interwoven. However, the president should, in the next two years, focus more on how to ensure that the funds flowing in get to the people, because as of now, that is not seen to be happening.”

Nigerians are better off under Tinubu, says Hon Umoh

The member, who represented the Oron/Okobo/Udung Uko/Mbo/Urueoffong Oruko federal constituency in Akwa Ibom State between 2007 and 2011, Hon. Linus Umoh, argued that Nigerians were better off under the Bola Tinubu government than the previous administration.

Umoh, also a former speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, asserted, “I speak frankly, and as someone that has a good knowledge about Nigeria for the years I have been in politics, I can say with all fairness that the president is doing much better for Nigerians than the previous administration. I say so because when a situation is as bad as it was before he (Tinubu) took over, to reverse the situation involves two things. He removed the subsidy from fuel which was a good idea, but it created some hardship. Of course, the federal government is trying to manage that. Now in Akwa Ibom State, petrol is everywhere; you choose where to buy.

The fuel price is decreasing gradually. The exchange rate has also been stabilized. It is still on the high side, but it would have been worse if the government had not taken steps to stop it from further sliding down. The important thing is stability, so I can say that Nigerians are better than in the previous administration.” Vanguard

Speaking at the official inauguration of the initial segment of the 750km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Umahi praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s leadership and presented the completed 30km stretch as a “taste” of what the full project would look like upon completion.

“Mr. President, I want to state that we did no harm to Landmark properties,” Umahi asserted during his address. “In fact, as you are going, sir, you will see where this dual carriageway divided into two, by your order, to save as much infrastructure as possible, even though they violated the gazetted route.”

The minister emphasised that the highway was aligned with federal legal rights over coastal land.

“The Landmark infrastructure are intact,” Umahi said.

“What went off was their encroachment on our front shoreline, and the Supreme Court ruled that 250 metres from the shoreline belongs to the federal government. We didn’t do anything wrong.”

Umahi also questioned the Landmark Group’s reported $250 million investment on the contested land and called on the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to investigate potential tax issues.

“Why is the FIRS chairman not going after them for tax? You have to go after them,” he said.

He added that evidence existed to support the government’s position, noting: “They didn’t know that we videoed the existing route, and no single structure was there.”

Taking a jab at Landmark’s public campaign against the project, Umahi said: “The woman is making me very popular going to America, going to Canada — and I elected to give her money to go to London — because we do not care. We have Mr. President who has our back and we are moving forward.”

In a colorful metaphor comparing infrastructure development to cooking, Umahi described the 30km segment as a preview of the entire 750km project. “I remember when I was young and our mother used to cook, she would put Maggi, she would put crayfish, and she would now take the spoon and put it to her finger to taste. The Maggi there is Hitech, the crayfish there is Ministry of Works,” he said.

“Sir, today we are testing how the 750km will be completed,” he added. “We are giving you major projects, presidential projects. You have nine projects besides the coastal road that you will be commissioning.”

The 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar highway, which spans multiple states along Nigeria’s southern corridor, is one of the administration’s flagship infrastructure projects, aimed at connecting key economic and tourism hubs. Arise News

The elections would hold on June 20 and August 8, 2026, respectively, in the two southwest states.

INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, announced the dates on Friday in Abuja.

The INEC Chairman who recalled that the last governorship elections in the two states were held in June and July 2022, respectively, noted that his announcement was in line with the requirements of the law, which made it mandatory for the commission to publish the notices for major elections not later than 360 days before the date fixed for the election.

Unveiling the timetable and schedule of activities for the Ekiti and Osun State governorship elections, the INEC chairman announced the dates, “for Ekiti State, the election will be held on Saturday, 20th June 2026. However, party primaries will start on 20th October 2025 and end on 10th November 2025 to enable political parties to upload their nomination forms to the dedicated portal, which automatically shuts down by 6.00 pm on 22nd December 2025 i.e. not later than 180 days before the election.

“The final list of candidates will be published on 18th January 2026, while the campaign in public by political parties will commence on 21st January 2026 and end 24 hours before election day.

“In the case of Osun State, the election will be held on Saturday 8th August 2026. Party primaries will start on 24th November 2025 and end on 15th December 2025. The portal for the upload of nomination forms by political parties closes at 6.00 pm on 9th February 2026 i.e. not later than 180 days before the election. The final list of candidates will be published on 9th March 202,6 whilethe campaign in public by political parties will commence on 11th March 2026 and end 24 hours before election day.”

Earlier, Yakubu urged the 6 newly sworn-in Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) to conduct themselves in line with their oath of office.

He said:” As you assume or resume duty, I urge you to focus on your responsibilities. Let me make it clear from the outset that you must at all times be guided by the electoral legal framework, the code of conduct for RECs, as well as the regulations and guidelines governing the commission’s operations.

“Above all, you must always act in good conscience. Do not betray your oath of office. In the best tradition of the commission, you must engage with stakeholders through regular consultative meetings and must not be impervious to genuine criticisms.

“In the various states to which you will be deployed shortly, you will be in charge of personnel and resources. Manage your personnel and the extremely limited resources at your disposal very well. Your appointment is a full-time and not a part-time responsibility.

“You must provide leadership and exercise effective supervision. You can only succeed in this responsibility when you are knowledgeable about the Commission’s activities, particularly the innovations introduced in election management.

“It is also important to understand and operate within the limits of your delegated powers and responsibilities. Our state offices are part and parcel of the commission.

“You must never act independently or think that you can act in violation of the law, regulations and guidelines or defy the Commission without consequences. We will hold you accountable for your actions and inactions. We will not hesitate to deal with acts of defiance, indiscretion or transgression on the part of any Resident Electoral Commissioner.”

The new Recs have since been deployed to states. They include, Dr Sa’ad Umar Idris, (Gombe), Dr. Johnson Alalibo Sinikiem, (Cross River), Mrs. Feyijimi Saseyi Ibiyemi, (Ogun),Mukhtar Umar Gajiram, (Taraba), Chukwuemeka C. Ibeziako, (Abia) and Umar Yusuf Garba,
(Sokoto).

Checks revealed that two of the RECs, Dr. Johnson Alalibo Sinikiem and Mukhtar Umar Gajiram, were reappointed for a second term, having served for an initial term of five years as RECs. Tribune

A three-member panel of the court unanimously ruled in favour of the governor on Thursday, affirming the earlier decision of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal which earlier validated his victory at the 21 September 2024 election.

The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate in the disputed poll, Asue Ighodalo, to affirm Mr Okpebholo’s election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Mr Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the election with 291,667 votes, while Mr Ighodalo came in second with 247,655 votes. Several other candidates participated in the election but secured only a small fraction of the total votes.

However, Mr Ighodalo headed to the Edo State Governorship Election Tribunal, which sat in Abuja, to challenge the results.

He alleged widespread irregularities, overvoting, malpractices and non-compliance with the Electoral Act during the election.

The tribunal, in its judgement in April, dismissed his claims as unproven.

However, convinced of the merit of his case, Mr Ighodalo immediately  appealed the tribunal’s verdict.

The Court of Appeal upheld the decision of the tribunal on Thursday, similarly holding that Mr Ighodalo and his party failed to present enough evidence in support of their case.

The Court of Appeal’s decision is not final in election disputes, as dissatisfied parties can further challenge the decision at the Supreme Court, which has the final say on the matter.

Mr Okpebholo, a candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the gubernatorial election held on 21 September 2024.

Dissatisfied with the judgement, Mr Ighodalo appealed the tribunal ruling at the Court of Appeal in Abuja.

Similarly, the PDP Chairman in Edo, Tony Aziegbemi, after receiving the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the tribunal judgement described it as a miscarriage of justice that ignored facts and rewarded Impunity. Premium Times